The story, written by staff writer Claire Suddath, examines the beverage brand's image problem with obesity, and its lagging soda sales in the face an increasingly health-conscious world.

To create the image, the mag worked with CGI illustrator Justin Metz, who tinkered with a picture shot by photographer Jason Falchook.

According to its "Behind the Cover" story, Bloomberg had explored two options for the cover -- the portly bottle and also another that further fattened up one of Coke's most famous representatives, Santa Claus. The BB team settled on the former, because it felt "a bit more direct" and "we're not desecrating a beloved childhood figure." Santa was saved for the inside.